Steven the Shinigami
by Preferably Bitter 52
Summary: Steven universe is a shinigami-in-training who dreams of becoming the top shinigami everyone wants him to be. Though he has mediocre skills at best, his big heart and try-hard attitude pushes him through the tough challenges of shin'ō academy and being half gem and half shinigami in every day life. (High rating only for violence and coarse language)
1. Chapter 1: The first day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Steven Universe they both belong to their respective owners.**

OoO=short cuts

XxXxxx=long cuts

* * *

Chapter 1: The first day

 _A top shinigami_

 _thats what I'll be_

 _...someday._

"—Steven! Steven, come on wake up!"

Steven's eyes slowly opened to a blurred image of his dad; Greg Universe. "D-dad?" He muttered, wiping the seeping drool off his chin, it took a moment for him to register the situation. "DAD, WHAT TIME IS IT?! AM I LATE?!"

Greg smiled. "Relax, kiddo. There's just enough time for you to grab some grub."

"Good, so that means I can still sleep for five minutes."

"No, it means, you _only_ have five minutes."

*BEEP

*BEEP

"Great timing," Greg said, chuckling. "You better hurry up to the academy, you wouldn't want those 76 applications to go to waste, would you?" He drew in another compensating smile for his son and headed back downstairs.

Steven smacked his cookie cat alarm then rolled off the bed, he took a look at his calendar as he trudged towards the closet. _'My first day as an unofficial shinigami,_ _I've been waiting my whole life for this!'_ In less than five minutes, he slipped on the classic blue academy uniform, vaccumed the food Greg prepared, said a sloppy goodbye to him and was already out treading across District 3's paved grounds.

And in even less time, Steven made his way to Shin'ō academy just as the last students were walking in. _'Whoa, this place is humongous, it's a good thing I have my schedule to help me.'_ He patted down on his clothes. _'...that I forgot to bring...'_ His knees sunk. "Noooo! If only my cookie cat alarm clock worked then I would have my schedule! I can't believe I've been done in by my own favorite snack!"

"Excuse me,"

Steven swiveled his head around, a tall man with bleach white hair and a warming smile stared right back down at him. He continued to talk to Steven, his voice smoother than silk. "Steven Quartz Universe, correct?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Follow me, I am the teacher of your class after all."

"Shouldn't teachers be in their class by now?"

"Uh, well, I sort of had some trouble coming here," He sheepishly remarked. "But shouldn't students be in class as well."

It was his turn to act sheepish. "I had the same problem as you..."

"Hm, what a coincidence, I think you and I will get along quite well in class. Speaking of, we should get going by now."

As massive as it was on the outside, the inside only proved the fact even further. The main entrance hall, bathed in a golden hue, was lined with hundreds of doors leading to various classes, his teacher stopped at a door labeled '2106B'. "Here it is. Oh and by the way, my name is Ukitake Jūshirō."

"You mean...you're the captain of the 10th division? Can you please show me your sword, I wanna see it do all the ice and snow stuff!"

"No, no, you're talking about someone completely different,"

"Oh, that's right, you don't have any powers, you just have raw strength right, that's how you became captain!"

"Not even close."

"Your sword makes illusions?"

"The day will end before you guess my shikai," He pushed open the door to the classroom and Steven followed him in.

 _'So this is where I'll be learning how to be a shinigami, this is so cool!'_ Steven seated himself in the front row, the only row available anyways as all the rest were taken by the impatient students.

"Ahem! Hello class, my name is Ukitake Jūshirō and welcome everyone to the Shinōreijutsuin academy! In these next following years you will learn the four major shinigami combat forms; Hakuda, Hohō, Kidō and Zanjutsu, as well as an abundance of other techniques you will utilize throughout your shinigami career!"

One kid in the far back flailed his arm. "Hey, hey, we'll get to learn bankai and shikai, right?"

"Sorry, but no, this academy is here only to teach you the basics so you'll become a capable fighter. Learning shikai and bankai aren't required, but if you do end up learning shikai or bankai, especially bankai, you'll probably end up as a captain."

 _'A captain, huh? And all I gotta do is learn bankai, if that's all it takes then I'll be a captain in no time.'_

"As far as your six year course goes, your first year will be comprised of learning all the basics, including recieving your very own zanpakutō. The following years will be more so focused on a specific form, and your last year you'll be taken on hollow practice missions. Depending on your own prefrence and skill, after you complete the six year curriculum, you can apply for either the Gotei 13, Kidō corps, or Onmitsukidō. Not too complicated, so, any questions?"

While the students gunned Jūshirō down with questions, Steven sunk back into his seat, fantasizing about his shinigami future. _'I think I wanna be a part of the Gotei 13, that's what my dad was apart of, but I wonder what division he was in?'_

"So that's out of the way, we can begin our lesson. Today you'll learn the proper techniques and forms for using a zanapkutō by practicing with wooden sword." After Jūshirō's reveal came a long session of moans and groans. "I know it's not the most exciting thing, but it's an important step for all shinigami, so follow me to the training dojo and we can begin."

OoO

Jūshirō grabbed two wooden swords off the rack. "May I have a volunteer?" He saw the short blonde hair kid's hand shot up first before anyone else's. "Nasubi Hikari, you're up!"

Hikari shifted his cheaply made goggles, then bounced to his feet. "I'm gonna beat your ass Shirō-sensei!"

"Oh, so you already know a thing or two about Zanjutsu?"

"'Course I do!"

They bowed down to each other then Hikari started jabbing wildly at Jūshirō who effortlessly dodged his swings, Hikari's frustration only grew with every blow he missed. "Damn it! Why can't I hit you?!"

"Maybe because you're not holding the sword correctly."

"Huh?"

Jūshirō turned to face the class. "When holding a sword, lower your body and widen your stance, two hands should always be on the handle that way you can utilize the maximum power from your entire body. Your dominant hand will always go on top of your non-dominant and your battle stance should start off with your dominant foot forth and your non-dominant foot in the back, remember, push with your non-dominant foot, slide with your dominant."

Jūshirō raised the wooden sword so the tip was above his head and slashed the air. "Did everyone see my form, especially you Hikari, I don't believe you'll survive for very long if you swing your sword around like a tennis racket."

The few snickers that escaped were quickly subdued by Jūshirō's condescending glare. He returned back to Hikari, who already corrected his lackluster form. "...damn it, one day I'll kill you and become the new captain of the 13th division!" He properly swung his sword and it clashed with his teacher's blade. "What do you think of that?"

"I think you're going to have to try a little harder than that." Jūshirō knocked Hikari's sword from his grasp and it landed on the padded floor.

 _'So he's captain of the 13th division? That's right, he's the only one I don't have a figure of already...no wonder I don't really know anything about him!'_ Steven thought to himself as he watched Hikari's face redden from embarrassment. _'Maybe I can pick one up on my way back home.'_

Steven was so caught up in his after school plans that he completely missed Jūshirō's next set of instructions and was bewildered when everyone started pairing up and grabbing wooden swords of their own. _'Huh? What's everyone—'_

"Hey, uh, you wouldn't mind being my partner would you, U-universe Steven, right?" A girl beside him squeaked. While she did share Steven's height and jet-black hair, her rose-tinted glasses and overall quiet physique set them further apart than she could admit.

"Yeah," He squeaked back. "And...you are?"

"Maheswaran Connie." She supplied. "I've...heard a lot of people say it took you like 70 times just to display some reiatsu...is that..."

"75 times to be exact." They both chuckled.

"...they say it's because I'm part gem and it's impossible for gems to manipulate reiryoku the way shinigami can."

"Part gem?" Connie heard the word 'gem' tossed around in conversation a few times, but that was as far as her knowledge of them went. "Do you mind telling me what they are exactly?"

"Gems, well, I guess they're kind of like superheroes, yeah, but aliens. Along with this, I go to the human world every weekend to learn gem stuff."

"They let you go to the human world?! And...you're not scared of the...hollows?" Although she said 'hollows' sparingly, he seemed indifferent to the terrifying beast based on his happy face.

"Nope! The gems are there to protect me and everyone else, I mean, there might also be a shinigami too, but I never met them."

"Whoa, well, I've always wanted to go to the human world, I bet it's really fun there, are the humans nice?"

"—Ahem, you two still remember what we're supposed to be doing right?" Jūshirō intruded.

"Oh yes of course Ukitake-sensei," Connie quickly replied, getting herself up. She motioned to Steven and he did the same. "We'll get right on it!"

"Mm, that's good to hear."

Steven and Connie bowed to each other, firmly gripping their swords, then began. He tried going in for an easy hit, but ended up stumbling on his own feet. "So...how was it? Left foot forward or.."

"You're right-handed, right?" She giggled.

"Uh huh."

"So then, it's right foot then left foot, push with your left the slide with your right for the strike."

"Right for the strike...got it!"

He planted his left foot on the floor then pivoted on his right. "Here I gooooo!" The force of Steven's strike knocked Connie off her feet as well as made him lose his own balance and fall on the ground.

Despite utterly failing, Steven started laughing like an idiot, his laughter was contagious and Connie soon joined in. He rolled over then smiled at Connie. "Whew...ha...I'm really happy to be here, it took me so long, but finally I'm..here!"

"Yea...U-universe, l-look!

"Huh?!" A bright pink shield projected itself just above Steven's stomach. "...! Ahh ah! It's happening, I'm summoning my weapon!"

Jūshirō blankly stared at Steven. "What's going on?" He said to himself. All the other students followed suit and gave their attention away to Steven.

"Woo hoo!" The surge of movement caused the shield to shoot like a bullet from his stomach and bounce all over the training hall. While the students managed to dodge the flying shield, Jūshirō wasn't so lucky and it drove straight into his stomach before flopping onto the floor then dispersing itself into the atmosphere.

"Ukitake-sensei, are you ok?!" Steven yelled, then added. "I'm really sorry!"

"No, no, I'll be fine, no need to worr—" His students rushed to his aid when he collapsed on the floor.

 _'...I've never seen anyone quite like Steven before...I wonder, how he'll turn out.'_

Xx

 _"Do not seek beauty in battle. Do not seek virtue in death. Do not make the mistake of considering only your own life. If you wish to protect that which you must protect...slice the enemy you must defeat from behind."_

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A/N: Thank you for reading this and don't hesitate to ask questions, I'll answer any if you have any. See you next chapter;)


	2. Chapter 2: Class 706B

**Red Diz: The crystal gems can go toe-to-toe with the captains even if they use shikai mode or most kidō spells.** **However, the captains can beat the gems if they use bankai, and that's with fusion into consideration. I say this because the stamina of the gems doesn't seem to be all that high and once they retreat back into their gem, they're dead. Also, the gem's weapons and their capabilities are basically what I call shikai mode.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Class 706B

Steven eased into his seat as the other students began swarming into the classroom. _'What's this?'_ He noticed a sheet of paper lying in front of him and picked it up. _'Overview of Zanpakutō's?'_ He looked back to Jūshirō for guidance who was already preparing to start the lesson.

"Today you were supposed to begin your kidō lesson, but since it's raining, I'll have you do this today. It's a simple worksheet over Zanpkutō's and such, all the answers are in the books I've provided for you or you can ask me. After that, you'll finish up with an extension of what you learned yesterday, then you'll have the rest of the day to enjoy the beautiful weather." Jūshirō explained.

Hikari chewed on his pencil. _'What a lame joke...and an even lamer day. I'm totally sure k_ _nowing the difference between a katana and a nodachi is going to save my life when my head is getting eaten by a hollow. And this book is so thick, it'll take me forever to find the answers...I got it, I'll just copy off of someone smart and take a nap until we do something fun.'_ He scanned the classroom for any potential victims. _'There.'_

"Aw what, this is so easy!" Connie exclaimed, flying through the questions. "I don't even need the book!"

Steven meanwhile struggled with the first question. _'What are the two basic powers of any zanpakutō? I don't know..and t_ _he next question doesn't look any easier.'_ "Hey, Connie can you help me with this question?"

"Sure, Steven...wait...the first one?"

"Haha, yeah."

"Actually for the first question, it is pretty hard, because I'm sure everyone knows that shinigami put hollows through hollow purification. But shinigamis can do so much more."

"Like be able to cut perfect cake slices with their swords?!"

"...No Steven. Shinigami's gods, they get to determine which souls go to the Soul Society or...down there."

"Down where?"

"You know,"

"In the basement?"

"No,"

"Underground?"

No, no,"

"Come on, tell me already!"

"Fine, it's called," Connie leaned in. "H-E-L-L."

"Hell?"

"Don't say that out loud, Steven!"

"Sorry!"

"The teacher didn't hear so you're still good. Anyways, doing that entire process is called Konsō. Got it?"

"Yep!"

"How the hell do you spell 'Konsō'?"

Crouching right smack in the middle of their table was Hikari, a self-proclaimed nemesis of all teachers. Despite his worn down appearance and scarred face, his cheeky grin never faded away. "I'm not good with spelling, so can you help me out?" He asked.

Connie rolled her eyes. "Nasubi, if you don't do the homework by yourself you won't learn the material."

"Yeah but the material is boring, come on, just fill in a few blanks for me. I'll give you something _nice_."

"Get away from her!" A book smacked Hikari upside the head and he fell off the desk.

"YUMIKO!" Much to Steven and Connie's surprise, Hikari was back on his feet and his jet black eyes were searching for the perpetrator. "...hey, where is he?" He mumbled.

"Right here."

Unlike Hikari's messy upbringing, Yumiko was the exact opposite in almost everything. Her peach colored hair was clean and neat, her face was softer than Hikari's jagged edges, it even looked like she was somewhat level headed at least from Steven and Connie's perspective. "Oops, sorry Hikari, I guess my book must've slipped out of my hand, I'm such a klutz." _Somewhat_ level headed.

"That's really funny, Yumiko. Usually you're too lazy to even pick up a book, let alone throw it half way across the classroom!"

"Oh I get it, you're still mad about getting your ass handed to you by Ukitake-sensei." She teased.

"I'm not mad about that!"

"I had second-hand embarrassment just from watching you."

"SHUT UP ALREADY!"

"Nasubi and Hōzuki, since you're talking so much, I'll have to assume you're already done with your work, please turn in your papers," Jūshirō said.

Steven and Connie snickered as the two marched to Jūshirō's desks and gave him their papers. "Thank you Nasabi-san," _'He only filled a single question out and I can barely read his handwriting.'_ "And thank you Hōzuki-San." _'She didn't even fill any of the blanks out, she just drew suggestive pictures. Those two...'_

With the work out of the way, Yumiko fell asleep while Hikari used his hand as paper.

"Those two are kind of weird," Connie said. "Especially Nasubi."

"I know..."

Now fully focused back onto his assignment, he finally reached the last question only for it to stump him even harder than the first. "...Connie, did you get the last question, I'm stuck again," Steven said, tapping his pencil on the paper.

"The last one? I...didn't get that either."

" _Who came up with the name 'Zanpakutō'_?" Steven read aloud. "I checked everywhere in the book and it doesn't say. But I mean, it's probably someone really, really, really old."

"The oldest person in the Soul Society is Yamamoto-sama, but if he did name them, theu would've certainly put his name in the book. Especially since he established the academy. It makes no sense."

"It's not supposed to," Petey Fryman said. He put down his pencil and faced them. "It's a security question. Think about it, whoever came up with the name Zanpakutō must be super important and obviously not meant for the general public to know. So likewise, everyone will settle with the same conclusion you came up with, making that the 'correct' answer."

"The normal everyday student shouldn't typically think about who named something, let alone know the exact person who made it. It's information only a few know, and if a student knows they aren't as 'normal' as they seem. That's just my theory at least, what I'm saying is, you can put literally anything down."

While Connie was clearly immersed in the topic, all Steven could focus on being Petey's curly blonde hair bouncing every time he switched his view from looking at Connie to looking at the paper. That's what usually happened whenever he ended up in conversation with Petey. "Steven, did you get that?" Petey suddenly asked.

Stecen snapped out of his daze. "Uh huh, thanks Petey!" He scooched off his seat and prepared to turn in his paper. "-You did the back too, right, Steven?"

"The back?!"

"Relax. It's only one question...with 18 different parts. It should be easy because you're writing about yourself."

Steven begrudgingly sat back down and began filling in a set of questions clearly designed for Jūshirō to get a better idea of his own students, yet there was underlying complexity level tucked in within each question. " _Why do you want to become a shinigami,_ easy _...explain using at least 2-3 specific details from the text as evidence_? Not easy..."

 _'Petey's right, this should be easier than this.'_

OoO

With the last papers turned in, Jūshirō led everyone into the training dojo. "I figured in order for the class to get to know each other a little better as well as learn how to alternate your technique when fighting different opponents, you'll be changing your partners every five minutes until it's time for you to leave, which will be in half an hour. Undesrtood?"

"Yes, Ukitake-sensei."

"Good, now you may all begin—except, Hikari and Yumiko, you two come here."

The class cooed with laughter while Hikari and Yumiko stomped towards Jūshirō who was wavering new papers in front of him. "Listen, I know completing these worksheets isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but learning the material through technical means rather than practical can help you out in more ways than one."

Yumiko groaned. "Noooo Ukitake-sensei, the worksheet you gave us were so stupid!"

"That's why lieutenant suggested I use a different method for special cases such as yourself," He whipped out a stack of papers with lousy pictures scribbled on each sheet. "I already properly graded your last assignment so I came with a new one where you must fill in the blanks with the name of each weapon depicted in these drawings."

Hikari sneered at the cutesy drawings infesting the pages. "Is your lieutenant a baby? These drawings are a joke."

"But...I always...never the less, it is an excellent visual representation of the material and I believe it'll help you two learn better. Now I suggest you get to work, the sooner you get this done, the sooner you can join the class. Which that reminds me..." He turned around. "Everyone, switch partners!"

As everyone was alternating partners, Steven was once again in the dark, he luckily spotted a girl wearing a tight lipped frown and ran up to her.

"Let's be partners this round, okay?"

 _'I remember him, the chunky kid who knocked down Ukitake-sensei yesterday. I should knock him down no problem.'_ "Sure."

"Mm, my name is Universe Steven, it's nice to meet you."

She tucked in the loose strands of her chestnut brown hair. "My name is Akiko, the same goes for you."

They bowed down to each other then exchanged blows. Not long after the beginning of their session, Akiko's piercing blue eyes locked onto Steven's making him increasingly nervous.

Steven moved away from another swing and struck her wooden carved blade from the side. Though it surprised her, the sword hadn't nudged an inch from her grasp. "That was pretty good Universe-kun."

That, in return, surprised Steven, but he still stood his ground and blocked Akiko's attempt at his wrist. _'I'm doing pretty good! This is the longest I've ever gone without falling down!'_

"You know, you're kind of cute now that I'm getting a good, long look at you," Akiko slipped in, striking his shaky blade. _'Perfect, I have him right where I want him.'_

"...Than—" Steven's blade was knocked straight from his clammy hands and lodged into the mat. Akiko pointed her sword at his chest, grinning like a fox. "Let your tears fall, Universe."

"Nooo...wait, you got that quote from Crying breakfast friends! _You_ like that show too?!"

"N-no way! That show is for kids...it's not like I can watch it anyways with the archaic technology the Soul Society has. Ughhh, stop distracting me, we're still sword fighting, okay?!"

Petey sighed. "She does know we were supposed to switch 7 minutes ago."

"You kind of lose track of time whenever you're around Steven," Connie said.

"I can see that now."

"Steven, Akiko, we're waiting on you."

Jūshirō's reminder hit them hard with reality and they finally noticed the pairs of angry eyes surrounding them. Akiko murmured something unheard by Steven, while he promptly picked up his sword, then searched for his next partner.

Meanwhile, Yumiko and Hikari finally finished their papers and handed them to Jūshirō. "Thank you and...thank you!" _'Unfortunately...Hikari's handwriting definitely hasn't gotten any better.'_

 _Xx_

"Ukitake, please inform us with a summarization of your student's answers."

"Most of them went with Head Captain Yamamoto, the expected answer."

"Most?"

"Yes, there were the few outliers who either didn't answer or put something silly down, but there was one answer in particular that said someone of the Royal Guard."

"Interesting."

* * *

A/N: I would have no complaints doing worksheets about Zanpakutō's over boring math problems, seriously, sign me up


	3. Chapter 3: Divison 13

Chapter 3: Division 13

Jūshirō sat at his desk looking over the schedule for the current semester. "I've been so busy with the academy work I haven't even had the time to start on my own paperwork as a Captain...looks like I have no choice but to take off next week…" He muttered to himself, he laid back into his chair, emitting a low sigh. "This is certainly more work than I expected."

The door suddenly slid open and his co-third seat, Kiyone Kotetsu, walked in carrying an armful of letters.

"More paperwork?" Jūshirō asked with a wry smile.

"No sir, these are the replies from the Captains when you asked if they would allow the students to tour their barracks—you sent them out about a week prior, remember?" She set the letters on his desk then stood back.

"Really now? You didn't have to get these for me, I could've…"

"N-no! It was my pleasure, Captain Ukitake!"

"Hm, well thank you," Jūshirō smiled again, then took a letter from the pile, before indulging into the soft manuscript paper he noticed Kiyone's bothered expression on her face. "Something the matter?"

"Well it's just that...do...do you want me to open those letters for you?" She asked.

"Oh no, it's fine, you've done enough already." Kiyone looked even more displeased, he knew he wasn't going to win this battle so he gave in. "But if you insist

"Thank you Captain, I'll get right on it!" In no time, each of the letters were open and Jūshirō went through them individually.

Division 1- "My time will not be wasted with impatient children."

Division 2- "On a mission."

Division 3- "Sure, I wanna see their frightened faces when they see me."

Division 4- "I would love for them to come, but a vast majority of my division will be gone in assisting Division 2."

Division 5- "My barrack isn't especially designed for children, but I wouldn't mind if they came either way."

Division 6- "No."

Division 7- "Of course they can if we come back in time from our current mission."

Division 8- "The more the merrier~"

"Actually, the division is currently undergoing a routinely cleanup of the barracks, he just wants the kids to help out in cleaning."

Division 9- "If it brings you any justice, however, I alone will be gone for a mission."

Division 10- "It's probably not the best idea. You and I both know if they see me, and how 'young' I look, you'll never hear the end of it."

Division 11- "COME AND BRING 'EM SO WE CAN FIGHT!"

Division 12- "If I use the mixed-breed one for experimentation you wouldn't mind, right?"

Jūshirō set the letters aside, then stood up.

"Where are you going, Captain?"

"I've decided it's best to think this over with some tea."

"Should I—"

"Please, just come with me."

 _Xx_

Unlike the first day of school, Steven woke up an hour earlier than he was supposed to by mere accident. So what better way to spend the extra hour than to finally finish his Gotei 13 captains figurine collection in the local comic book store. The door slid open and Steven walked in, the owner gave him a subtle nod before flipping to the next page of a magazine.

 _'There's only two other people in here, that means it shouldn't be sold out!'_ He went over to the figurine rack, every single captain—and their lieutenant was in stock except for the 13th captain. "AGAIN?!" Steven scurried over to the counter. "Do you have any more Captain 13 figurines left?!"

"Sorry little dude, the last ones were bought out by the 13th Division's lieutenants. We'll re-supply in about a month, so check back then."

"NOOOOO—"

"I'm gonna have to ask you take that outside, you're disturbing the customers."

He walked out. "—OOOOOOO!"

"Hello, Universe-kun!" A voice called out.

Yumiko ran up to Steven, her face was smooth and round giving her a cutesy, childlike appeal despite that she self-indulgently adored. She stopped and grinned at him. "How are you?" She said sweetly.

"Hey Yumiko, erm, you don't have to be so formal, Steven's fine!"

"Sure your Dad's going to be ok with that? I'd totally hate to disrespect the Universe family name."

"Yeah, he's fine with it."

"Got it, oh-you're at the comic book store, you never struck me as that type."

Steven rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm actually really into nerdy stuff, nowadays I mostly come here for a Captain Ukitake figure, but it's always sold out."

"I'm sorry to hear that, I know the feeling of having an incomplete collection all too well…" She trailed as if to lead Steven on, but he was completely clueless to her gesture.

They began their walk to school, waving and nodding occasionally to the locals. "So do you go there a lot?" Steven asked.

"To the comic book store? Yeah, I used to go there everyday when I was little and buy a lot of shounen, Mitsu-san even let me check out some of the seinen they had, but these days I don't go there that often."

"Wha-Why?"

"It's because Mitsu-san refuses to sell me any of the books with explicit, erotic content since I'm 'underage' so I see no reason in going there anymore."

Steven's face drew with bewilderment. _'B...but she looks so sweet and innocent…how could she be into that...stuff...'_ "Uh, um…yeah."

"Anyways, what do you think we'll be doing in class today, I hope it's not another worksheet, I'm not at all book smart like you and your friend, Maheswaran-chan, right?"

"Actually it's Connie who does all the legwork, me, I'm just the guy who took 75 tries just to get in."

"I thought that was just a rumor since you're...you know...…"

"Nah it's okay, you can call me half-gem, half-practically everything else."

Yumiko chuckled. "Don't feel bad about it, I think it sets you apart from the rest of the low life's in the academy!"

"You really think so?"

"I wouldn't of said anything if I didn't!"

The bell rang as the two walked inside the academy, they headed for room 706B then took their seats.

"It took you long enough," Connie said in a mock serious tone when Steven sat down.

"How come you're always here sooooo early, Connie?"

"I live like right next to the school, it's great."

"Sounds like it, you don't ever have to worry about being late and you can sleep in all the time, aw—trade houses with me Connie!"

"No way, Steven!"

Jūshirō walked in, late as always. "Good morning class!" He took a moment to cough then continued on nonchalantly. "–Since it's a beautiful day, instead of sitting in this dusty classroom, I've decided we should take a tour of a Gotei 13 barrack to see first-hand where a Shinigami resides."

Connie raised her hand.

"Yes, Maheswaran-san?"

"Which Division will we get to see?"

"Good question, I originally planned for us to tour all of the barracks, but I decided my own would be the best...for everyone."

Jūshirō led the class from the academy to the barracks, talking all the way. "As you all know, I am the Captain of the 13th Division, our insignia, the snowdrop, signifies hope and the color I chose is maroon. So if you ever decide on joining the 13th Division one day, which I hope you do, remember what our insignia means so that you may wear it proudly."

"...Although we have no lieutenant…" Jūshirō paused, then quickly shook his head. "...we do, however, have two Shinigami holding the third seat—Kotsubakī Sentarō and Kotetsu Kiyone. Right now they're handling the administrative duties, if they weren't, then they'd surely be running this for me," He said, managing to let out a coarse laugh before having another coughing fit.

"...er, as I was saying, our duty as the 13th Division is to watch over Karakura Town, Japan."

"Just Karakura Town?" A student asked.

"Yes, allow me to explain...in the human world there are regions where we Shinigami survey for Hollows and each Division is assigned a region to look after. A region has a varying percentage of the likelihood for a hollow to be 'born', for the most part, the majority of regions in the human world with the chance for a hollow is close to zero, however, there are two areas where that chance is much higher, we're not sure why there is such a disparity, but that's just how the human world functions." He held up one bony finger. "Karakura town is the number one region with a 70% chance of pluses to turn into hollows, and number two, with a 50% chance, is Beach city within the United States."

"Beach city…" Steven muttered to himself.

He continued. "Naturally, the Division who watches over Beach city is the 11th Division, and because we watch over the region with the most hollow occurrences, you must be ready to face death itself, again—that is if you decide to join my division."

The class finally reached the 13th Division barracks, not only were the floorboards recently cleaned, but there were snowdrop decorations hung on the walls and railings. "Here we are." _'I'll have to thank both Kiyone and Sentarō for this now, won't I?'_

Steven gawked at the beautiful structure in awe, while mostly everyone else was drawn to the giant koi fish pond in the Captain's Ugendō, Steven focused on the shinigami walking past, each bearing the hopeful snowdrop symbol. _'So this is what it looks like to be a Shinigami a part of the Gotei 13...they all have a purpose, like they know what they're supposed to be doing all the time.'_

Connie nudged Steven in the arm. "Pretty cool, right?"

"Yeah…!"

"This is nothing," Hikari barged in. "I heard the 11th Division's barracks are like, 10 times cooler than this lame nursery home."

"Really, didn't know you were so attracted to all the blood smeared on the 11th Division walls." Petey said, happening to catch what Hikari said. "I think it's gross."

"That's what makes the 11th Division so friggin awesome, heh, but I bet you like the 4th Division with all that lame healing stuff that they do."

"Actually, I'm not really interested in joining the Gotei 13, I wanna live past my teenage years."

"—And what do you have against the 4th Division, just because they heal doesn't mean they're any worse than the other Divisions," Connie said.

"Are you serious? They don't get to be in any of the real action!"

"Making sure no one dies _is_ the real action!"

Steven stepped in between them. "Let's calm down guys, every Division is just as good as each other, right, it's supposed to be a balance," He looked to Petey for help to which he shrugged in response.

"I don't know, isn't the 1st Divison supposed to be the best?" Petey said.

"You're not helping, Petey!"

"Fine then, whatever…let's just go, we're lagging behind," Connie finally said.

Steven and Petey followed her as she rejoined with the class, meanwhile Hikari leisurely lagged behind.

 _Xx_

As the class was approaching the barrack training dojo, a woman dressed in Shinigami uniform appeared before the Captain, she had a young, yet defined face with short, black hair, fair skin, and purple eyes. "Sir, Captain Yamamoto wishes to speak with you later on today…" Her attention was drawn to the swarm of kids staring at her.

"Thank you, Rukia-san."

"Of course."

"—hold on, please, will you introduce yourself to my class."

 _'So these are the snot-nosed brats Captain Ukitake's teaching, jeez, most of them look pretty bored too.'_ "Hello kids! Pleased to meet you all!" Rukia cheerily greeted, she then bowed down. "My name is Kuchiki Rukia, and I'm an unseated officer of the 13th Division, if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer!"

Jūshirō smiled. _'Rukia's really hamming it up, I'm glad she feels so enthusiastic about this.'_

 _'I really hope they don't ask me too many questions so I can get on with my day…'_

Connie raised her hand. "How is it working as a Shinigami?"

"Yeah, is it fun?" Another student cooed in.

"It's...something. Most of the time the are barracks are pretty empty since Karakura Town is such a...demanding place, I suppose seeing the human world must be pretty exciting, but as for me, I'm usually stuck doing my Captain's paper work, or training with my Zanpakutō."

Jūshirō laughed sheepishly. "I work you too much with the paperwork, don't I? Would you like to be assigned to the human world at some point, Karakura town should be easy for you and I'll have my third seat's file in all the paperwork."

"I'll...think about it, thank you."

Steven raised his hand. "Have you ever been to the human world?"

"..."

"Uh...Kuchiki-san?"

"...I'm sorry, I…" She dazed off for a moment. "...yes, I have been to the human world, it's not for...everyone. If you ever end up going to the human world...prepare for the worst."

"Hey, I got a question," Hikari said. "How soon do you think I can become a shinigami?"

Rukia answered almost immediately. "Within a year or two, if you happen to be a kid prodigy like Division 10's Captain and …" She paused, and spoke sparingly "Division 3's Captain."

"Any more questions?" The class was silent, giving her the cue to leave. "Then I'll be on my way," With that, she disappeared around the corner.

"Shiro-sensei,"

"Yes, Nasubi-san?"

"So I know who the Captain of Division 10 is, but who is the Captain of Division 3, never heard of 'em."

"The Captain is Ichimaru Gin, he means well, but I believe he's been following us for far too long…"

"What?"

"You got me," A voice hissed, with his revelation, a tall, slender man with short, silver hair and pale skin approached the class from behind, his eyes were closed shut and his mouth was forever fixated into a chilling smile.

"What brings you here to my humble barracks?" Jūshriō asked warmly.

"You hurt my feelings when I realized your class wouldn't be showing to my own barracks, I thought you skipped us on purpose," He said in a tone that didn't indicate whether he was actually hurt or not.

"Really now, my third seat sent everyone a letter saying I was only going to show them around in my own barracks, you must not of gotten the letter, then, my apologies."

"No problem, say, you wouldn't mind if I introduced myself anyways, now would you?"

"I see no reason not to."

"Fantastic." He faced the class, and waved. "My name is Ichimaru Gin, I'm Divison 3's Captain, which you all should certainly join, scarcely anyone else does so you're sure to be accepted."

Hikari's expression soured. _'This creep is advertising his own Division 'cause no one else wants to join it. That's pretty sad.'_

Petey raised his hand in skepticism. "What exactly does the 3rd Division do?"

"Not much, we got assigned a dead region so my team usually assists the 11th Division when dealing with Beach city. Which...if I'm not mistaken, is where the mixed-breed I keep hearing about is from."

Steven shifted uncomfortably. _'Mixed breed…is he talking about me?'_

Jūshirō frowned. _'So that's what he came here for.'_ "Please, Captain Ichimaru, it's rude to refer to my student as such a condensing name."

"Well that's what it is, half-shinigami, half-gem, half-human maybe too. Which one of you is it," He approached Hikari, who was visibly unsettled by his presence. "You, perhaps?"

"Hell no, and if I was a mixed br...I mean, half gem, I sure wouldn't tell a pedophile like you anything!"

"Nasubi-san, don't speak to your elders that way," Jushiro said sharply.

"Well it's the truth, prying on us kids like he has nothing better to do, who let this guy become Captain anyways?"

Although still retaining his smile, Gin's tone got drastically more direct when he spoke to Hikari. "You know, bad kids often meet untimely deaths, at least, that's what I hear. Don't make that same mistake." His smile deepened when he saw Hikari's eyes grow in fear and his confidence shatter on impact.

Jūshirō stepped up to Gin. "And if he does, I'll make sure you meet the same fate."

"Oh, is that a threat? Now you're really scaring me," Gin backed away from Hikari. "See you around then, Captain Ukitake."

"..th...thank you, guys for not telling him who I was," Steven quietly said.

"Of course, Captain Ichimaru may mean well, but that doesn't mean his intentions are entirely clear. Not all Captains are to be trusted, remember that."

Hikari forced himself a weak smile. "...anytime!"

On Gin's departure from Division 13's barracks, he took the extra care to smile at Rukia on the way out, pleasuring himself at the fear she exhibited. _'Well then, since it's obviously not the blonde one, guess I'll tail that chubby kid around…'_

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the near year long hiatus, I was working on other projects, but I'll be updating regularly from now on...probably


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